Snowblind
by Ivara
Summary: Twist on the movie. Pitch Black has returned, and a new guardian is chosen. Except that none of the Guardians have even heard of him, since he's spend the last 300 years avoiding them, fearing their anger over his mistakes. Like the titanic. But when the Man in the Moon forces them together.. you can lead a spirit to guardian hood, but you can't make him join.
1. Introduction

Snowblind - Introduction.

The guardians gathered around the crystal, watching as Manny's light caught it and an image of a teenager showed up, bare feet oblivious as snow swirled around him. He leaned on a crooked staff, looking completely at ease. A question mark appeared over the Sandman's head almost instantly, but the other guardians were too caught up in staring at the new guardian MiM had just picked to notice. In fact, all of them were thinking around the same thing, _Just who was this guy?_

It was finally Bunnymund who broke the silence, "Who is this bloke?" He looked around at the other guardians, but Tooth shook her head, not knowing either. Sandy was silent as always, the question mark remaining imprinted in the air with his golden sand, North just shrugged. None of them had ever seen the new guardian, or even so much as heard of him. They were about to.

….

Jack circled on the wind above North's workshop, looking down at it with bright blue eyes. He'd been in the Artic stirring up a snowstorm and enjoying the cold when he'd decided he might as well try and see if he couldn't get into the workshop while he was around. Hopefully this time Phil wasn't going to catch him before he saw anything, and Jack didn't think that Phil would fall for being frozen again. Being thrown out this time if he failed was probably going to be painful. The one thing he didn't want to do was run into North himself, Jack had been avoiding the guardians these last 300 years, and he didn't want them to start learning he was here now. He was sure they wouldn't like him, not after all he'd done the titanic, ruining Easter in that blizzard in '68. They'd been accidents, but the Easter Kangaroo had been hopping mad about that blizzard. And to think if that anger had been directed at him…

His eyes caught it, an opening in the roof. He could see the Man in the Moon's light shining down through it. After all these years, was MiM finally sending him a message? Three hundred years without anything but his name, was he finally going to get somewhere? Was this what he'd been waiting for all this time?

He swooped down towards the opening, a flurry of snow being carried along the breeze with him. He stopped over the opening and without a thought folded him arms into his sides and dropped, landing crouched on the ground, frost exploding in its beautiful pattern all around him when his staff touched the ground. Jack Frost stood up slowly, edging back. This, this was not good. What had the Man in the Moon gotten him into now?


	2. Snowblind - Chapter 1 - a frosty welcome

Snowblind – Chapter one – a frosty welcome

Tooth jumped as frost exploded onto the ground, not that her feet were touching it, but it was still startling. She could have sworn the temperature in the room had dropped by at least a few degrees, and she was sure it was because of the teen, who, she realized as she looked him over, was the boy MiM had just announced as the next guardian. There was an echo of fear in the teen's eyes, and he looked like he was ready to attack, having picked up his staff and pointed it at this.

A glance over at North and the others showed Bunny with one furry paw of his boomerang, North with his swords draw, and Sandy.. flashing images over his head faster than tooth could follow. And from watching the frosty teen, she could tell that he was becoming bewildered at what was going on above Sandy's head.

After a tense moment, North put his swords away, looking at Bunny hard until he took his hand away, leaving his arms hanging limply at his sides. "New Guardian!" He announced in his Russian accent, throwing his arms wide, "Welcome! Very good timing."

….

Jack was shocked, and then carefully, keeping his eyes on the group, placed the tip of his staff back down on the floor. But he didn't lean against it casually as he would have if this had maybe been a snowball fight he had been watching between two opposing grades after school, with possibly a laugh and a snowball appearing out of seemingly nowhere. He regarded them warily, and then asked, "New Guardian?" When North's almost instant reply was a loud of course, he didn't change his posture, but switched his gaze to the Sandman.

He watched the spirit of dreams for a moment before saying hesitantly, in almost a whisper, a response to the images flashing slowly now in golden sand above the squat man's head, "Jack Frost. I'm Jack Frost." There were no shouts of anger, no fury suddenly appearing on the each of the Guardian's very different faces, but still Jack didn't relax. Just because they weren't showing outwardly that they knew he was, didn't mean they hadn't already know and were about to attack him, for real this time.

"Jack Frost." Said North, watching the teen curiously, though he wasn't about to mention he'd never heard of the spirit before, though from the frost of the floor and the snow that had come in with him, it wasn't hard to figure out what he did. But.. why was the boy looking so fearful? There was nothing to fear here, was there? But perhaps Jack simply didn't know who they were, "I am North." He said, "That is the Easter –"

"Kangaroo, yes, I know who you all are." Bunnymund's ears went back slightly, and he took a step forward threateningly, "I'm a bunny mate." Jack's eyes went wide and he scrambled backwards, instinctively pointing his staff at the tall Australian rabbit, arm shaking, his mouth going dry. This was the moment when the bunny realized that Jack had been responsible for that blizzard over Easter in '68, the moment when all the anger that Jack had seen thrown into the storm was directed not at nature any longer, but at him. But the moment didn't come; instead Bunnymund took a step backwards, almost startled by how Jack had reacted.

Tooth announced softly, "There's no reason to be afraid Jack. We just want you to be a guardian, and if it helps any, it was Manny who chose you. We need to protect the children of the world, the ones who Pitch is threatening." _The ones who can't see me._ Was what ran though Jack Frost's head, but he was silent. Instead of saying anything, he took the necessary steps forward to be directly under the opening in the ceiling. "Man in Moon hasn't spoken to me since he gave me a name. Three hundred years ago. If he's got something important to say, I'm sure he'll say it himself. But I really doubt it." Tooth might have been the only one he wasn't afraid of.

But she wouldn't get a chance to know what.

At least, not now, not tonight.

Because Jack Frost was gone.

Off though the hole in the ceiling, the only memory that he'd ever been there at all the snow that fell in a steady stream from the ceiling itself, the white falling just long enough to cover the floor before it stopped.

Bunny connected the dots between how terrified Jack had been of him, and the snow. Calling out after him, "FROST!"

But as before, Jack Frost was gone.


	3. Chapter 2 - snatching at shadows

_Warning – there is cursing in this chapter. With the names of Russian composers. Thank Whirling for this brilliant idea!_

_Chapters should be getting progressively longer, and this chapter was supposed to have frosted tea, but I couldn't work it in B( Maybe next chapter._

Snowblind – chapter 2 – snatching at shadows

Jack had stayed in the North Pole by the workshop, it wasn't like anyone was going to go after him, or find him in this storm anyway. Not unless he wanted to be found, which he certainly did not. And he just wanted to mull over the news that they wanted him, Jack Frost, as a Guardian. When no one even believed in him; anywhere. And where else was the perfect place to mull things over than the middle of a snowstorm? Maybe it wasn't the best place for the average person, but for Jack, it was.

Something bright, greens and blues and purples darted though the storm, wings beating frantically. The Tooth Fairy, it had to be. The wind carried him a bit closer; she was alarmed about something, that much was clear. Jack flew after her, looking back for a moment when a rumble met his ears to see a sleigh burst out of the side of a glacier. He breathed out in wonder, Santa's sleigh. He'd always wondered what it looked like, and though he couldn't see it very well, it wasn't the ancient thing he's always imagined. He looked back to find the Tooth Fairy almost out of sight, with a flick of his staff he sped forward, emerging out of his safe snowstorm.

….

Jack jumped out of the way as another one of the strange black horses ran past him through the air, things that look like miniature Tooth Fairy's swelling it's stomach to the point it was translucent. As another one came past Jack froze it, saving the little baby tooth it had be chasing. "Hey baby tooth." Jack said softly, then shot past the little thing. But Baby Tooth wasn't having nothing about being left behind by Jack Frost, and grabbed onto the hem of his pants as he flew past, and so got back into Tooth Palace without being captured again.

Jack landed with a faint thump on one of the spires, peering down at the scene below. There was Pitch... Jack knew who he was. Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, also known as the Boogeyman. Pitch had pretty much completely ignored Jack's presence, until just a few days ago Pitch had approached him. Asking him if he didn't want to destroy the guardians he so feared. Jack's only response had been that he was a neutral party; he didn't care what any of them did. Pitch had laughed at that, and then left, telling Jack he was sure he'd reconsider. Baby Tooth tugged on Jack's hoodie, trying to get him to go down to where the Guardians were, almost directly below him. They were grouped up, looking ready they were going to fight; exchanging words with Pitch, who stood on top of a roof like Jack, but the edge, not the spire.

Pitch's golden eyes met Jack's for an instant, sending chills down the winter spirit's spine. Then suddenly Pitch disappeared from the roof. Puzzled bright blue eyes searched for a moment for the grey man, before suddenly a voice whispered in his ear, "Neutral party?" And then hands shoved Jack off the spire, he let out a strangled yell, but didn't have the time to summon the wind before he landed right next to the Guardians on the platform. Jack groaned, lifting himself off the ground and looking up at Pitch, who was back on the roof before glancing at the Guardians. "Poor, poor Jack Frost." Pitch cooed, and Jack realized that Pitch was leaning on his staff. Tooth let out a surprised, "Oh!" before flitting over to Jack, exclaiming, "Baby Tooth!" Before snatching the little creature that clung to Jack's hoodie and holding it to her. "Thank you." Tooth whispered to him, leaning in a bit too close for Jack's comfort. "Frost." He heard somebody mutter, it wasn't really any problem figuring out who it was. Jack only had to turn his head to see Bunnymund glaring at him.

The spirit of winter took a step back, glaring up at Pitch, "Give me back my staff." But Pitch was continuing as though Jack hadn't said anything and neither had Bunnymund or Tooth. "All alone, running and hiding from the guardians all these years. Fearing them. I should probably be thanking you Frost." Pitch glanced down at his nails, which were covered in frost at the tips from holding onto the staff. Then his golden eyes met brilliant blue ones with a flash and he added, "It's thanks to you and your fears that I'm even here at all." "Sergei Prokofiev!" North swore, looking at Jack. So the boy had feared them. And so it was because of that fear, that powerful fear, that Pitch was here. Why was the boy scared of them? He could almost put his face in his hands; all this could have been not going on if only they'd realized the boy existed. But from what Pitch was saying, the boy had always avoided them. It was no one's fault but everyone's, and if the boy still feared them even now Pitch was getting stronger by the moment.

With a chuckle, Pitch threw the staff down, and Jack caught it, glancing for a moment at North, wondering what the spirit of wonder had just said, but thinking it was a swear out of anger directed at him, it sent jolts of fear though him. "Run along neutral party." Pitch growled, eyes gleaming as he sensed Jack's fear, "Or I might just have to take you out of the picture myself." Pitch stumbled backwards suddenly as a boomerang chose that moment to clock him in the side of the head, taking yet another step back with a slight yelp as then an egg bomb exploded too close to the Nightmare King's face for comfort.

With a twirl of his staff Jack shot a bolt of ice at the Nightmare King, but he'd disappeared behind the spire. Only to reappear a moment later on a Nightmare, charging down towards the guardians. Sandy tried to attack him with his dream sand, but Pitch Black slipped past, and Bunnymund missed with his attack as well. Jack took chase, but lost Pitch down a crack after a moment, then turned slowly, to face the guardians who were hot on his heels.

His body shook as they ran towards him, but they just gathered around him and Tooth peered down the hole, "Can you make one of your tunnels connect with this Bunny?" She asked, looking back at the Rabbit in question. He shook his head at her, green eyes meeting Jack's. Jack took a step back, forgetting there was a ledge behind him. He fell backwards, but the wind caught him this time, and he was left looking at a mural of children and the tooth fairy, teeth between them. Bunnymund peered over the edge, then hopped down, asking Jack, "You okay mate?" It was clear he was struggling internally with something, probably the fact that this was the spirit who had destroyed Easter back in '68, but trying to move past it, at least for now. The spirit of winter was terrified, and Bunnymund was positive they didn't need that fear to grow and help Pitch's strength along even further. Jack, still shaking a bit, nodded quickly, and then turned his gaze back to the mural, asking softly, "What is this?" Tooth replied, flying up so she was just a little bit behind him, not wanting to scare him either. "I protect the best memories of childhood. And then when kids are grown and in need of those memories, I give them back. All the kids of the world, it's me and my baby teeth, showing our job. What we do."

Jack had turned suddenly when she'd mentioned all the kids of the world, eyes wide, asking, "Even mine?" Tooth just stared at him for a moment, then pity came into her eyes, "Oh Jack, you don't remember your human life?" She shifted in the air, then added, "I'd give them to you right now Jack, but Pitch tooth all my teeth, I can't." The fairy just now seemed to be hit with what had happened to her, and she cried out, "And without all my baby teeth, I don't even know how I'm going to get all the teeth waiting to be picked up around the world!"


	4. Chapter 3 - a darker shade of night

_This chapter is a day late, sorry everyone! It's exactly 40 words longer than the last chapter .D._

_Yet again no frosted tea - sorry Whirling! But next chapter? For sure  
_

_ UVNight, thanks! It being a believable turn of events was what I was hoping for c:  
_

Snowblind – chapter three – a darker shade of night

Jack Frost shifted nervously in the air as the guardians all agreed that they'd help Tooth collect all the teeth around the world. But to Jack it almost seemed… pointless. As soon as night was done in one place, it would be night yet again in another. It was no wonder why Tooth's little teeth were working twenty four seven, or why she needed quite so many of them. But when Bunnymund looked up at him and asked, "Hey Frost, you in mate?" It was all he could do to softly agree.

After all, Tooth was the only one he wasn't afraid of. She wasn't deadly, and really she was the nicest of them. Sandy was nice as well, but, that sand was dangerous. And Jack didn't really trust it.

While the others hopped in the sleigh, even a reluctant Bunny, Jack just hovered alongside it, unwilling to get it. To be so close to those he'd feared for so very long. "You want ride in sleigh Jack?" North asked, turning around from his place in front to look back at him. Jack just shook his head, "I'll just stick behind you guys."

… .

It had been hectic, especially once they were though with two continents before Tooth bothered to ask if they'd been leaving presents behind. Jack would have been worried about how heavy his tooth sack was getting, that is, if he hadn't had the wind to help him out in that respect. As he flew into Burgess, he saw Bunnymund jump out of one of his holes, and here came North, Tooth and Sandy, all racing side by side to get into Jack's home town.

Burgess was easy; Jack knew the place by heart, so he therefore knew the best ways to go through the town to get where you wanted to go. As he slipped through the window into the room of the boy who'd been hit by that couch earlier, he saw Tooth was already in the room, removing the tooth from under his pillow. Jack's feet touched the floor silently and he leaned on his staff as Tooth turned to look at him, "Sledding accident." She said softly, looking at the wall behind him. There was a drawing of the boy being launched into the air on his sled. She was almost tempted to ask if Jack had anything to do with it when Bunnymund appeared from the floor and North ran into the room with Sandy behind him.

It was actually getting pretty crowded in the small room and North held up his sack, declaring, "I have the most teeth!" Tooth's eyes widened and she made a shushing noise, gesturing at the boy and the greyhound which slept at the edge of his bed. And was sleeping no longer. A low growl was coming from the dog as it got to its paws, eyes focused on Bunnymund. The bunny in question was holding up his boomerang, getting ready to throw it at the dog. Sandy interrupted with his dream sand, conveying that they couldn't possibly hurt the boy's dog. "That's a greyhound; do you know what greyhounds do to rabbits Bunny?" Jack questioned softly, no longer leaning on his staff. "This dog's never met a rabbit like me, six foot one –" Jack's staff hit the alarm clock, causing it to go off.

The startled dog leapt at Bunnymund. Who yelled. Which woke the boy while Sandy quickly sent the dog back off to dream land. He sat up in bed and stared at the guardians. For a moment Jack's heart gave a wild leap, could the boy.. could the boy see him? But as he softly breathed out the names of the guardians, adding a, "I knew you guys were real!" Jack's heart broke and Tooth sent him a pitying look, he hadn't been mentioned. North looked at Sandy and added, "Knock him out." The squat man pounded a fist into his hand before Bunny added, "With the dream sand dummy!" Sandy nodded, and formed a ball of the sand. The dog was awake again with the sound of Bunny's voice, "Bad girl! You can't attack the Easter Bunny!" As Sandy threw the newly formed ball at the dog instead of the boy, it hit the creature and bounced off, Knocking out North, Tooth, and Bunny in quick succession. As North's weight hit the bed the boy flew into the air, being caught by Sandy. With a tip of the Sandman's head, the boy was out.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle, "Nice job Sandy." He turned as something flashing by the window, something dark. Sandy looked startled by it, and flew out the window. Jack followed. They chased the dark apparitions though the streets, before finally Jack managed to freeze one. "Look at this Sandy!" He declared, really quite happy about catching it. It was one of those black sand horses, nightmares; the ones which had been back at Tooth's palace. And that left Jack to wonder just what they were doing here in Burgess.

Jack got the feeling he was being watched, and turned around slowly to see Pitch. Before the dark man could say anything at all, a bolt of ice was shot towards him. With a slight "tisk tisk." He disappeared only to reappear a little ways away. Jack followed, chasing him though the town.

Finally, Jack faced him on the same roof top, and Pitch took a step away from him, opening his mouth to say something, and ran right into Sandy. Pitch look startled, and with a dreamsand punch, was lanced off the rooftop to the streets below. Sandy descended slowly, with Jack at his back, onto the street a little ways from Pitch. He beat his fist into his hand, rage evident. Jack had been right, he did look deadly, that sand was deadly. Sandy was deadly.

Pitch slowly got to his feet, stumbling backwards until he was under a banner strung between rooftops that announced something about Easter. "I'm sorry Sandy, I should never have corrupted your sand. Please, please! Have it back!" With a wicked smile Nightmares began pouring into the street from the town, seemingly out of nowhere. They were surrounded. "I take the ones on the left, you take the ones on the right?" Jack questioned softly, turning in circle. They were everywhere. With a snort and a toss of the head all around, the nightmares charged.

… .

Jamie's little sister, Sophie, wandered into his room. Gasping as she beheld the guardians, the Tooth fairy, Santa, and the Easter Bunny. She was absolutely delighted, more so when she picked up a sparkly snow globe off the floor. But then she tripped over one of Bunnymund's feet, and the globe hit the floor, opening up a portal; which the little toddler flew headfirst into.

Moments after this had happened, North woke up slowly. Shaking his head, he looked around. Not seeing Jack Frost or the Sandman, he quickly woke up Tooth and Bunny and they ran for the sleigh, all of them sluggish and tired, after effects of Sandy's dream sand when used on the guardians. By the time they were outside and in the sleigh, they were just in time to see Sandy, in a little cloud of golden sand, surrounded by Nightmares, Jack Frost fighting against plenty of them himself. "Jack!" Tooth cried, and when the spirit of winter turned his head, pointed at Sandy.

"Wind!" Jack cried, flicking his staff as he simply charged though the nightmares he'd been fighting, making for Sandy. He was so close, so close!

Pitch Black smiled, black sand forming around him into a bow, with a deadly arrow. The Sandman was fighting valiantly below him, golden whips flashing at his nightmares, but he wasn't going to be able to hold off on his own much longer. But no worries, he wouldn't have to. Pitch would take care of that. He pulled back that arrow, so the bow's string was taunt. With a slight laugh, he released it, watching as it found its target; spearing the spirit of dreams though. Pitch watched as a golden hand rose to touch the arrow, body turning to look at Pitch in shock. Then the nightmares were on him and the Sandman was gone. Pitch laughed.

Jack had been so close, so close! He let out a cry, despair and rage coursing through him. Pitch… Pitch was going to pay. As the nightmares turned their attention onto him, he hovered in place, hands clutching at his staff as the object in question began to glow. With another cry, as the first nightmare got within a few feet, he released the power. And the nightmares, every last one of them, froze. But he hadn't gotten his target. Pitch Black had disappeared.

It was a darker shade of night without the Sandman.


End file.
